By Clare Desrosiers
ASAP coallition project director
Aroostook Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) Coalition recently held its first Annual Celebration at the Cary Medical Center in Caribou. The celebration included a keynote presentation by Heather Putnam, victim witness coordinator with the U.S. District Attorney’s office in Portland, a review of outcomes from ASAP’s annual parent survey and a presentation of ASAP Bridge Builder Awards.
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Karen Donato
MILLER RECEIVES AWARD — Rebecca Miller, left of Littleton received an award from the ASAP for her outstanding contributions in southern Aroostook. Miller is a victim witness/advocate with the district attorney’s office and a member of the Link for Hope coalition. Presenting the award was Trudy O’Bar from Houlton Regional Hospital, also a member of the Link for Hope coalition.
ASAP Coalition presented the ASAP Bridge Builder award to three County residents nominated by individuals in their local area for their outstanding contributions to substance abuse prevention in their communities. The 2009 award winners were Kerry Voisine, project assistant with Power of Prevention in Fort Kent; Kathy Mazzuchelli, director of Caribou Parks and Recreation Department, co-chair of CADET, and chair of ASAP, of Caribou and Rebecca Miller, victim witness/advocate with the District Attorney, member of Link for Hope Coalition, of Houlton.
ASAP also presented data from its annual parent survey. In 2008. ASAP focused a portion of prevention efforts on increasing perception of harm associated with underage drinking, prescription drug and inhalant abuse by conducting countywide advertising campaigns. Results from the survey revealed that at least 50 pecent of parents surveyed were aware of campaign messages and responded to the messages with protective behaviors, like talking to their child about the risks of inhalant abuse or locking their medicine cabinet. In fact, since 2007 adult perception of risk for prescription drugs and inhalants rose by 19 percentage points and 17 percentage points, respectively.
Another initiative ASAP worked on in 2008 was to prevent the negative consequences associated with underage drinking by increasing perception of enforcement of underage drinking laws. A greater number of parents completing the 2008 survey thought they would be arrested for providing alcohol to minors than adults who completed the 2007 survey.
Since October 2007, ASAP Coalition staff have worked with ASAP members and partners to prevent substance abuse throughout the County. The belief of the coalition is that its local members and partners know what will work best in their communities and are the best suited for bringing prevention messages and initiatives to the communities they know and who know them. The members’ and partners’ work in their local communities is what has ensured that the messages and initiatives of the group have been heard and have made an impact.
ASAP Coalition staff would like to thank the Coalition members, partners and advisory board members whose work, dedication and patience enabled our partnership to achieve the outcomes described above. Coalition members are: Aroostook Mental Health Services, Inc. (DBA AMHC), Ashland Police Department, Aroostook Teen Leadership Camp, Celebrate Recovery, Community Alcohol and Drug Education Team (CADET), Community Voices, County Patriot Young Marines, Healthy Aroostook, Life by Design, Link for Hope Coalition, Maine Drug Enforcement Agency – Aroostook County Division, Power of Prevention (POP), University of Maine Presque Isle, University of Maine Fort Kent, and WAGM Television.
ASAP partners include: Houlton Police Department, Northeast Publishing (Aroostook Republican, Presque Isle Star-Herald, and the Houlton Pioneer Times) and U.S. Border Patrol – Van Buren.
ASAP Advisory Board members are: Aroostook Band of Micmacs Service Unit, Aroostook Chief’s of Police Association, Aroostook County Department of Corrections – Adult Division, Aroostook County District Attorney’s Office, Aroostook Teen Leadership Camp, Cary Medical Center, Citadel Broadcasting, Houlton Pediatrics, Houlton Wesleyan Church, Life by Design, PA, Link for Hope Coalition, Peter Edgecomb, Maine State Representative – District 4 (Caribou), Union 122 Superintendent of Schools, University of Maine at Fort Kent.
For more information about ASAP Coalition, call 521-2408 or go to www.asapcoalition.com.